Somebody that I used to know
by Serenya
Summary: Nick hadn't expected to get a message that'll mess up his whole life. But with his boyfriend and other friends, he will be able to face any problem... will he?
1. Chapter 1

**So, my this is my first story in english. I hope it won't sound to weird... It's not my native language and also I don't have a beta, so if you find any mistakes, just let me know!  
Slightly AU (Kurt and Blaine didn't transferred to McKinley)**

**I hope you'll enjoy it, though... :)**

**DISCLAIMER: Even if I would love to, I don't own Glee or any characters, except for some OCs... **

"Nick?" Jeff looked up in concern as he heard his boyfriend gasp. "You're okay?"

"Me... I... no!" The smaller boy stared at his monitor with wide eyes.

Jeff frowned. This was absolutely unlikely for Nick, he felt his concern growing with every second that passed. He tilted his head and noticed tears shimmering in his boyfriend's eyes. He left his homework and walked over to Nick, sitting close to the boy and squeezing his shoulders lightly. "Come on, Nicky. What's wrong?"

Nick tilted his notebook, so Jeff could see his facebook account. There was a message, written by... Ruby Duval? "Oh, who's that? A cousin? Wait, something happened to your family?"

"No... not really. Ruby... She is... my sister!", Nick explained hesitating.

"Your... what? Whoa, hold on a minute. You got a sister?" Jeff' was pretty confused. Nick was his boyfriend and best friend the same time, and he didn't even knew that he had a sister? "You never mentioned her!" He tried to hide the fact that he felt hurt. There must be a reason that Nick never had talked about that girl.

"Jeff!" Nick turned around, a slightly panicked look in his eyes. "Could you... please... just hold me?" His voice trembled as he spoke.

"Oh, Nicky!" Jeff immediately opened his arms and pulled the shaky boy close. Nick lent in weakly and winced softly, soon starting to sob. Jeff felt his tears soaking his shirt, but he couldn't care less. He was scared. He'd never saw Nick cry, at least not like _this_. Sure, sometimes when he'd told Jeff about his sorrows, there had been tears in his eyes. The last time when he found out that his father had lost his company and that his parents were fighting a lot, but he always had wiped the tears away before they even had the chance to fall. But now the boy cried so hard, he nearly choked on his sobs.

Jeff rested his chin on top of Nick's head and started to rock him in a soothing way. "Everything will be great, Nicky... just let it out... I'm right here!", he whispered softly.

"I-I'm so s-sorry, J-J-Jeff!", he whined. "You... you're the p-person I trust more than a-anyone else, and I sh-should have told you about Ru... about h-her!"

"Shh!", Jeff whispered and rubbed Nick's back gently. "You don't have to tell me anything, if you don't want to. But you know that I'll be hear to listen whenever you wanna talk, right? Nicky... no matter what, I'm always here for you!"

"I... I guess I have to!" Nick sighed and released himself from the embrace. The tears were still streaming down his face, but he didn't even seem to notice. It was heart-breaking. Jeff swallowed hard and continued rubbing small circles on his boyfriend's back. "I have an older sister, Ruby. I haven't talked to her for four years. She run away from home when she was 16, at least I think she'd run. She never said goodbye to me, and my parents refused to give me an explanation."

"Gosh, Nick, I didn't knew..."

"How could you? Like you pointed out, I n-never mentioned h-her." Nick gasped for air and tried to calm himself, before he continued talking. "It hurts, Jeff. Talking about her, even thinking about her. She was like my best friend in the entire world, and then she was gone from one day to another. She left her cellphone at home, so I didn't even had a chance to call her and ask her why she'd left. And she n-never called me, Jeff, not one time in f-four years. And I-I'm s-so w-worrie-ed about her... so damn w-worried..." Nick collapsed again in Jeff's arms and sobbed heart aching.

"Oh baby..." Jeff comforted Nick by humming a soft melody. As his crying seemed to ease a little, he bit his lip. Should he ask, or would that be pushing to much? He hesitated, but his concern about Nick and his breakdown won. "Do you want to tell me what she wrote to you?"

"I... I don't know. I couldn't read it. Could you... please?"

Jeff still held him tight as he started reading with soothing voice. "Nick. I fought hard with the decision whether I should leave you a message or not. I read about Edward and the company in the newspapers... - Edward? Is she talking about your dad?" Jeff frowned and continued. "As you see, I decided to write you, even if I still think that this could be a mistake. I mean, you made clear that you don't want me in your life... - What the hell is she talking about?"

"I have no clue." Nick looked on the screen in confusion.

"Do you want to read it on your own?", Jeff asked, but Nick shook his head.

"No... I can't. I need you to do it."

Jeff cleared his throat an began reading again. "I miss you, Nicky. I tried not to think about it, but the article hit me so hard, and I felt like I need to see you. At least one time, I just want to know what I have done to make you hate me so much that you refuse to talk to me. I beg you, little brother, give me a chance. I could visit your school, so you would be in a comfortable place. And... even if you still don't want to talk to me, answer this message at least. Please. I love you – Ruby."

He swallowed and looked at Nick with wide eyes. The dark-haired boy seemed bewildered, not able to deal with this situation. His face lost every color, he was worryingly pale. He gasped, but his lungs didn't seem able to keep the air.

Jeff grabbed his shoulders and tried to catch his gaze. "Nicky, listen to me. I need you to breathe, now. You're not gonna pass out in front of me. Breathe... calm down and breathe... focus on me Nicky, I know you can do it!"

Nick put a hand on his boyfriend's chest and tried to copy his breathing. Fortunately it worked, so his face regained a little color, even if he still felt weak and shaky. "Jeffy... what am I supposed to do?"

"What do you _want_ to do? Do you wanna see her?"

"No... Yeah, but... I don't know..." Nick sighed sadly.

"We'll figure it out together. But first I have to talk to Wes to excuse us for today's rehearsal. Can I leave you alone for a minute?"

Nick nodded and Jeff left their dorm. He ran over to Wes' room, glad that no teacher was around. Running in the hallway was marked as inappropriate behavior, but he wanted to return to Nick as soon as possible.

He knocked against the door and hoped that Wes would be in there. He wasn't in the right mood for searching the boy.

The door opened a few seconds later, and Wes gazed at the younger boy. "Jeff..." He frowned. "Dude, what happened? Is everything okay?"

Jeff shrugged and told himself not to panic right now. "I'm okay, yeah, but... Nick isn't. Wes, he... I never saw him like that. I can't tell you what happened, but... he was crying so hard, I almost couldn't calm him down."

Wes raised an eyebrow in surprise. He knew Nick for two years, he had been his mentor when the boy transferred to Dalton. He never saw him in a really bad mood. Okay, there were days when his smile wasn't as bright as it normally used to be, but he always seemed so self-controlled. Wes always had suspected, that there was more going on behind the surface, but Nick never showed. So he knew that something serious had happened to let the boy finally break down.

"How can I help?", he asked immediately. He was very protective when it came to his friends, in fact he was one of the most caring guys Jeff knew.

"I need you to excuse us for today. He can't go to rehearsal, Wes, seriously. And... could you figure out a way to make sure that no one will go and look for us? He really needs to rest for a while."

"I will!", Wes promised and squeezed Jeff's shoulder gently.

"Okay. Well... I don't want him to be alone right now, so I should go. Thanks so much, Wes."

"Jeff, wait!" Wes pulled the boy into a tight hug. "When you don't know what to do, or when you need help or... anything... just let me know, okay? I'll be there for you. For both of you!" He smiled and let the boy go.

Jeff returned the smile gratefully and headed back to his dorm.

"Talked to Wes, we're out of practice today!", he told as he entered the room. He took off his blazer and shoes and crawled into Nick's bed. Carefully he hugged his boyfriend again and kissed his cheek. "How are you?", he whispered gently into Nick's ear.

"I don't know, Jeffy, I really don't! I wanna know why she left, but I don't know if I can... no... I think I can't talk to her." Nick's voice sounded discouraged.

Jeff thought about it for a while. "Well... there are different ways to express yourself, you know?"

Nick snorted. "Jeff, this is not really a thing you could solve by writing a letter."

"This is not what I was talking about!" Jeff smiled as Nick caught his gaze in confusion. "You're a Warbler, Nick. If you can't speak... sing about it!"

Nick frowned. "I like that idea, but I'm scared that..."

"I could stay with you, if you want me to. Maybe play the guitar. Or all the Warblers..."

Nick interrupted his courageous boyfriend. "I really don't think Wes would allow that!"

"I do!" Jeff hesitated and bit his lip. "You know, I had to tell Wes a little for making him excuse us for the day. He don't know anything exactly, don't worry. Sorry, Nicky, you know I'm a terrible liar!"

"Never mind! It's okay!" Nick smiled sadly. "So you really think I should ask him?"

Jeff nodded. "He offered his help, and asking wouldn't hurt, would it?"

"Your right. Thanks, Jeffy!" Jeff took out his phone and sent a message to the Warbler's leader, asking him to come around after rehearsal. He was surprised as he received an answer about a minute later. Usually there were no cellphones allowed during a Warblers meeting. Wes seemed to break his own rules.

"He'll be here in half an hour!", he informed his boyfriend while he got up and took his guitar. He knew Nick liked hearing him play, and he thought that it would maybe help the boy to relax for at least a while. His fingers flew over the strings, and a soft melody was in the air. Nick couldn't help but smile, lying back and listening.

As it knocked about 30 minutes later, Nick had fallen asleep. Jeff got up carefully and opened the door. Wes attempted to step into the room, but hesitated as he noticed the sleeping boy. "We shouldn't wake him up, Jeff. I guess he needs to rest. I can come back again later!". ,he offered.

Jeff shook his head. "Later he'll find excuses why he doesn't need any help. And Wes, he needs it, like... really needs!"

Wes sighed by these cryptic words. "Don't scare me, Jeff. Okay, let's try to get your stubborn boyfriend to talk."

Jeff headed over to Nick and gently caressed his hair. "Hey sleepy head... come on, wake up, Wes is here!"

Nick sat up slowly. His hair was a mess and his cheeks were a bit red. For a moment he looked like a child, young and innocent. But nothing could cover the dark shadows underneath his eyes and the hopeless expression as he looked up.

"Hey Nicky!" Wes smiled softly and surprised everyone, including himself, by using this name. Usually only Jeff was allowed to call Nick like that, but the word had left his mouth before he even had the chance to think about it.

"Wes!" Nick swallowed and tried to smile back. "I know you got a lot stuff to do, dude. Sorry for calling you over, it's not that important!"

"Nick, I'm neither blind or dumb!" Wes placed a chair next to the bed and sat down, catching Nick's gaze. "You're not okay, and there is _nothing_ to do that's more important than my friends. C'mon, buddy. What can I do?"

"I don't know where to start!", Nick whispered and grabbed Jeff's hand.

"Try the beginning!", Wes suggested with a little smirk.

Nick sighed and began talking. Jeff rubbed his back through the whole time, and as Nick's tears started to fall again, Wes also crawled into the bed to comfort the younger boy.

It was surprisingly easy for Nick, to talk and even cry in front of the two other Warblers. He wasn't used to it, but he felt a little better as he reached the end of the story. "So I beg for your permission to let the Warblers join me when I decide to meet her!", he finished, suddenly shy again.

"Oh Nick... may I?", he asked before he pulled the brunette boy in a tight embrace. Nick flinched at first, but it only took a second to make him feel comfortable in this hug. "Don't worry, we'll have your back. "

"R-Really?"

"Of course. That's what friends are for, Nicky."

**TBC**

**What do you think? Should I better stop writing? Are you interested in this SL?**

**Let me know, I'm curious (...and unsure ^^)! **


	2. Chapter 2

**So, chapter 2 is on... I just love the easter holidays... so much time to write! :) I hope you'll like it.**

**Thanks so much to _only-one-of-my-kind-7_ and _Eraman_ for the reviews, it made me so happy to read them!**

"_Nick, you're late..." _

_The boy shrugged an put his bag on the ground. "Sorry Mom, but there was a huge traffic jam and the bus couldn't move for like an hour. Granny sends her regards!" _

"_I'll tell Janice to prepare your food. Your father and me hadn't the time to wait for you, you'll surely understand."_

_Nick rolled his eyes and ran up the stairs. He burst into his sister's room. "Ruby, hey, I'm ba..." The words stuck in his throat as he noticed that his sister wasn't there. What the hell had happened? Where was Ruby or her stuff? The room was cleaned up, only the bed, the desk and the wardrobe was left, but all of her clothes were gone. "Mom?" He flew down the stairs again, almost falling over his own feet. "Mom!"_

"_Nicholas, how often have I to tell you that yelling isn't welcome in our house?" The woman looked up with a stressed expression on her face._

"_Where is Ruby?" He ran a hand through his long, dark hair. _

"_Darling, you know you have to cut it soon, do you? Ruby doesn't live here anymore. She left. Shouldn't bother you, since it was her decision. We have to let her go her own way. No go and get on the table, Janice should be finished soon."_

"_I don't want to eat right now. Where the fuck is Ruby?", Nick yelled again._

_His father appeared out of the living room furiously. "Nicholas Duval! How dare you talking to your mother like that? In your room, now!"_

"_But I want to know..."_

"_It's none of your business. Now go upstairs and remain silent, it was a rough day and we need to rest._

"_Dad, I..." He never was able to tell what he wanted to, because his father raised his hand and slapped him in the face. _

…

"Nicky? Nick! Hey, c'mon, love, wake up!"

As he finally managed to open his eyes, he was aware that Jeff was holding his shoulders . "You're away now? Gosh, Nicky, you scared the hell out of me. You were screaming in your sleep, you never done that!"

Nick sat up, slightly shivering, what causes Jeff to reach for the boy and pull him into an embrace. "Shh, darling. Sorry, I didn't wanted to scare you even more. It was a nightmare, nothing else."

"It wasn't!", Nick whispered miserably and clung to Jeff's chest.

Jeff frowned. "What do you mean, it wasn't? Nicky, are you alright?"

"I don't know!", the boy admitted. "I dreamed about the day I found out Ruby was gone. Sucky memory, you know... But I guess it was mostly because..."

"Yeah, today is the day!", Jeff nodded. Nick had finally managed to send his sister a message and invite her over for the next Saturday a week ago. So the 'next Saturday' in fact arrived today. No surprise that Nick was nervous as hell.

"Do you think I'm making a mistake?", Nick asked as he let his head rest against Jeff's shoulder and gave his hand a small squeeze.

"I think you're doing what you need to do. So it can't be that wrong. But maybe you should try and catch a bit more sleep, though. It's barely after 4."

Nick sighed and let himself fall back on the bed, searching for a comfortable position. "Could you stay with me?", he begged.

"Of course, baby." Jeff kissed him gently and turned out the light, wrapping his arms around the smaller boy's waist. "For now, for the day, and forever!", he added quietly when he was sure Nick had fallen asleep again.

The next morning was all troubled and messed up. Nick's nerves were raw, and not even Jeff could manage to calm him. The brunette boy just snapped whenever he tried to reassure him that everything will be okay. Jeff knew in his heart that Nick wasn't mad at him, though it does hurt. He reminded himself to be patient, it would gonna be a really tough day for his boyfriend, and he couldn't imagine how he would have acted if he was in Nick's place, so he decided to leave him on his own for a while, although he made sure to have an eye on him.

Time gone by, and Nick became even paler, finally turning to Jeff. "I'm scared!", he admitted.

"I know!" Jeff kissed his cheek and cuddles him. "But you'll feel better when she'd been here. At least you'll know the reason."

"I hope you're right. Jeffy, it's time. I told her that I'll meet her at the parking. Could you come with me? Please?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Jeff smiled and squeezed his hand.

They left their dorm together and walked through the hallways. "Wait a minute!", Jeff begged and knocked against Wes' door.

When the Asian opened the door he looked at the two boys. "So it's starting now?"

Nick and Jeff nodded. Wes smiled encouragingly. "We'll be in the practice room, waiting for you. Don't worry, Nick. You'll be fine!"

The continued to make their way through the school. When they arrived the parking lot, a girl with long, curly brown hair stands besides a black car, uncomfortably wiggling around.

"Jeffy..."

Jeff grabbed his hand tighter. "You know we have your back, Nicky. No matter how things are going, we all will be there for you. And now take a deep breath, calm a little and say hello to your sister!"

The girl already noticed the two boys and walked slowly towards them.

"R-Ruby.", Nick stuttered. "Hey."

"Thank you for inviting me, Nick!", the girl replied and seemed to fight back tears.

They fell silent, but it was awkward. Jeff cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm Jeff. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too. I'm Ruby, as you seem to know."

Jeff nodded. "Would you come with us, please? Nick has something prepared for you!"

Nick looked at his boyfriend with wide eyes and mouthed a quiet "Thank you".

Ruby tilted her head to look at her brother. "Is this right, Nicky?"

"Don't call me like that!", he snapped, but tried to relax as the girl flinched. "Yeah, please follow us."

They made their way to the practice room in silence. Nick felt like his heart gonna be exploding in his chest, but Jeff's hand was on his back the whole time.

The blonde turned to the girl. "Let me explain something first. Nick and I are Warblers, that's our Glee Club. And because he knew that talking would be hard, he'll sing a song to you. Afterward, we'll see how things will develop."

"Oh... okay?" Ruby entered the room hesitatingly.

"Sit down!", Nick begged and pointed to one of the couches. He went over to the other boys, who were smiling with sympathy. "Okay, then..." The boys began humming and Nick started the first verse.

_I wanted you to know I love the way you laugh  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away  
I keep your photograph and I know it serves me well  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain _

Ruby got up slowly and swallowed by hearing her brother's soft voice again. It reminded her at all the times they used to sing together. As Nick was about to enter the refrain, she bit her lip, then started singing along with him.

_'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away_

The Warblers looked at each other surprised. Ruby had a beautiful voice, high pitched but although very strong.

Nick continued alone, his voice accusingly .

_You've gone away, you don't feel me here anymore..._

Ruby ignored the confused looks the boys shared and stepped towards her brother. He nodded softly, so she took a breath and sang the next verse.

_The worst is over now and we can breathe again  
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away  
There's so much left to learn, and no one left to fight  
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain_

Nick wiped a tear away and started singing again when it came to the refrain. Their voices had a perfect harmony, but mostly they were full of unspoken words and overwhelming emotions.

'Cause I'm broken when I'm open  
And I don't feel like I am strong enough  
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome  
And I don't feel right when you're gone away

Ruby seemed to lose it somehow, so Nick finished the song alone, sounding sad and depressed.

_You've gone away, you don't feel me here anymore._

Ruby cried silently. "Nicky...", she whispered, but her brother turned and ran out of the room. Jeff followed him quickly.

Wes coughed. "Mh... well... maybe he needs a minute!" He gave the other boys a sign to leave the room before he looked at the girl again. She was pretty, even if her eyes were red and a bit swollen right now. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"I'm okay, but thanks. You don't need to look after me. Maybe I should leave."

Wes shook his head. "You're very similar to your brother, do you know that? He also refuses to accept help. So, once again. What do you want to drink?"

"Mh... water, maybe?", she answered unsure.

"Sit down, I'll be back in a second!"

It really didn't took to long until he entered the room again, finding the girl sitting on the big couch and looking into nowhere. She twitched a little as she became aware of the Asian who kindly offered her a glass and sat down next to her.

"Thanks." She hesitated. "Could you tell me something about my brother? I really, really miss him, and maybe he'll never talk to me again."

Wes sighed. "I think he'll be back, soon, otherwise he wouldn't have invited you. He was really nervous the whole week. I don't know what I can tell you, you really should talk with him. I don't want to... you know, break his trust in me. But you're brother is an awesome guy. I don't know what made you leave, and it's not my business to ask, but if you want to become a part of his family again, I can assure you that he's worth it."

"Thanks!" Ruby looked down. Neither of them spoke a single word, until the door opened and Jeff and Nick entered the room again.

"You're still there!" Nick smiled unsure. "I was afraid that you left. We need to clear things up."

"I know!", she answered, still refusing to look up.

"Okay, well, I better go!", Wes offered, but Nick shook his head.

"If you don't mind, I'd be happy to have you around. Jeff is also staying. I need you guys."

"Alright, then."

Nick and Jeff sat on the other couch, so the siblings could face each other.

"You look good, Nick. You seem to be happy around this place!", Ruby began after a while, even if she was aware that it wasn't the right situation for smalltalk.

"I am." Nick nodded. "The boys here became my family after mom and dad sent me here. I guess they're more a family to me as my real one has ever been. You know our parents. And you..."

The girl smiled embarrassed and guiltily. "I wasn't there for you, yeah. But you never answered my letters, so..."

Nick frowned and interrupted his sister. "Wait, you never wrote me. So how should I have answered?"

"I... I left a letter in the room the day they kicked me out, Nick. I..."

"They _what_? I don't understand..." The brunette boy blinked confused.

Ruby sighed. "I don't know what they have told you. I... I guess I have to start at the very beginning, right?"

"Seems to be better." Nick leaned against Jeff as he waited for his sister beginning to tell the whole story.

**So much for now... The song I used is Broken by Seether and Amy Lee.**

**Poor little Nicky, I hate it when he is sad... **

**I hope that I'll be able to update tomorrow, but I can't promise. **


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